Archive of ‘Decors’ category

Two weeks ago, I was shopping for our beach trip in Landmark when I came across these colorful belts for P19.75 each. I’m not exactly a belt wearer but these are perfect for DIY projects so I got one of each color and two red ones. I would have bought more if only I didn’t have other things to buy. Those belts will definitely be gone when I return to Trinoma but shopping for DIY materials was not part of the budget that time!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about having a hanging planter in the house and using these belts is a great way to add a pop of color. I already have a spare vase lying around the house which I got from Uniwide Warehouse for P30.This project is really quick and easy. All you need are two belts, a vase and a pair of scissors.

Using the first belt, wrap it around the middle part of the vase or on its widest area. Mark the part of the belt where you plan to create a hole. Make sure it isn’t loose when it’s buckled up because it will hold the long belt and planter together. Once you have made the hole, cut the excess belt. Remove the little belt, put the other one just like the picture below and you’re done!

You can use the excess belt as an extension if your belt is too short. If you’re worried about the vase falling off, you may opt to secure it with a super glue. I like it this way because I can change the belt and the planter anytime. You can mix and match belt colors too.

Oh, and yes, the plant is fake. Don’t judge me! Haha!

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After we had our kitchen repainted, I needed an art-like installation that could also function as pot holder. There is a blank wall on the side of the sink that would be perfect spot for this. Since I painted our kitchen a neutral color from too bright apple green, I needed a fresh pop of color.

I asked our carpenter to build me something similar to a typical pallet using 3pcs. 2″x4″ KD wood and 4 pcs. 1/2″x4″ reclaimed palochina wood. And here’s how I painted it using my craft acrylic paint and leftover latex paint used in our living room and kitchen.

This was quite experimental actually so I really couldn’t give an exact tutorial. But this is how I basically did it:

1. I diluted the blue paint from our living room with water to use as “wash” and I did not like the effect. Haha!

2. To remedy it, I mixed it with my blue craft acrylic and applied it to the still wet pallet. Added a bit of green and yellow here and there. I waited for a while for the paint and wood to dry (since I was using much water), then sanded the wood to blend the colors.

3. Not quite there yet so I added a bit more brown, more yellow, sanded it off. It was too bright for me so to tone down the colors, I added the same white paint I used for the kitchen wall and sanded it endlessly.

I got more pallet projects to paint. I just hope to find time to do it.

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In the Philippines, most renters often have very minimal budget for decorating. We don’t have IKEA where you can buy cheap but stylish furniture and decors (actually we do have IKEA resellers like Mobler and 5Corners but the item price are more than twice the US price, so it’s no longer considered cheap for me). We don’t have suppliers for temporary wall paper although you can buy cheap decorative vinyl stickers in Japan surplus stores for P88. But if you want a really nice one, of course, there’s quite a price to pay, usually for at least P1,000. Still, for someone like me who is constantly budget conscious, I can’t afford that.

But that doesn’t mean you’ll have to settle with bare, boring white walls for the rest of your stay in the apartment. The three images below can be recreated using supplies from bookstores.

I often see wall art in the internet using paint chips. But paint chips aren’t free here in the Philippines (I was able to gather some from Dunn-Edwards Wilcon Depot Balintawak, but they are too precious and rare so I’m keeping them for reference and not to be used for DIY projects.) A huge “paint chip” wall art can be done using a mix of various colored cartolina, construction paper and art paper. Cut them into small square pieces and pin them on a corkboard or a foam board hung on the wall. It’s a no-commitment wall art so you can change the colors whenever you feel like it or when the papers start to become dirty. For less than P300, you can have a huge color wall art to brighten up your day.

Washi tapes are great for adding colors to your white walls too. You can peel it off without leaving sticky residue. You can buy washi tapes here, here or here. For more washi tape decorating ideas, you can check out my Pinterest board.If you’re feeling artsy and daring, you can wrap art or construction paper on board pieces. TIP: Recycle cardboard boxes by cutting them into squares. Layer them on your wall for some sort of 3D effect. This is a perfect way to conceal any wall imperfections. I think I’ll do this on our storage room to cover the ugly sides of our stairs.

In addition to art and construction papers, you can also use colored corrugated boards, cartolinas, japanese paper, gift wrapping papers and colored tissue papers.This is so easy, it can be done in a few hours. You can even enlist your kid to help you and best of all, you can do this for less than P500!

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